I do like Edinburgh. Hard to say what my favorite big city is though. I used to think it was London or New York. For a while, back when it was safe, it was Mexico City. Then I fell in love with Paris. Then with Rome. Then Florence. Then maybe ten more cities like St Petersburg and Venice and San Francisco in a hard to rank order. Or just about any village on an Aegean Island if it does not have to be a big city. But when I think of actually moving to any of them I always have second thoughts. In the end, where I live now must be my favorite big city by far.

Scotland and Ireland I would see for the natural beauty. England I would see for the history (though, the English country side is nothing to neglect!).

My mother's side of the family actually traces back through the name Olney.

If any of you come to Vancouver and are looking for a romantic getaway (rather pricy mind you but STUNNING i MUST say) check out www.rockwatersecretcoveresort.com

This thread is taking off! I will have to find some more pics to put up.

p.s. I would LOVE to get me and my camera around some old castles .. preferably ones that are intact and safe to go into. Also .. I need to go some place that i can get some good shots of aurora borialis. I would SOO love to add some photos of that to my experience and collection.

It is very beautiful.

I would think from your latitude any dark sky in the winter would work pretty well. Though, most Boreali (is that a word?) don�t come down this far. Try Fairbanks, Whitehorse or Yellowknife. I saw some impressive aurora while driving the Alcan several years ago.

The most impressive aurora I have ever seen was on a non-stop cross-country flight from Boston December 2003. There had been a fairly large coronal mass ejection two days before and I was hoping to get away from the city to see the expected aurora. When I had to fly back to the west coast instead I was mighty disappointed. Thought I�d miss it. Turns out I had the best seat in the house. At 36 K ft it was like floating among giant waterfalls of light and billowing glowing multi-colored curtains. It was so beautiful I cried in my seat.

I used to know of an amateur astronomy site that had tips on capturing aurora. It�s not easy. I�ll see if I can find it again for you.

Oh, and keep tabs on the forecast here: http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast

eta: there�s even an app for that.

Thats very interesting ... unfortunately my latitude is filled with light pollution. I can barely see the stars at night. I will get a shot of aurora eventually .. but since the northern places where it takes place is such a long ways away .. it will not be for quite some time before i get the oppertuntity to take shots of it.

I will check that site too! thanks!

Oh .. and here is an "altered" version of the waterfall from my first post in this thread. I tweaked it with photoshop and a filter called topaz adjust.

I thought I might try your TinyPic recommendation for posting pretty pictures. So here is a first for me.

My problem (one of them, anyway) is I don�t take many pretty pictures. I usually forget I own a camera when I am off wherever. Anyway, I associate one of the more not-thinking-about-anything-bad in recent memory times with this picture: early spring snow from dining room window.

There is often an eagle or two sitting in that snag.

eta: I don't know why it is so big. How did you make your images smaller?

Gorgeous

Ditto. I love snow.

Here is a pic I took when I brought my family to my hunting grounds in August, well before hunting season opened. This lake in this pic is usually frozen when i go hunting, but since it wasnt .. we brought our canoe and caught some fish too while we were there. I also wanted to show my family my hunting spot because of the abundance of life in the area and how sure i was I could show my kids some wildlife. Luckily for us this deer as well as others .. came right into our camp almost every day! COuld almost time it and predict when they would come. The kids loved it .. it was like a canadian safari. Deer all over the place.

That's just gorgeous. MNG. Where is it, again?

Are there any people in Canada?

This is a place called Solco Lake, British Columbia. You can probably find it pretty easy on google earth. Its out in the middle of no where along a forest service road in the okanagan.


Not if I can help it. lol.... and especially not if i want to relax and enjoy myself. Which usually involves isolation from the general population.

�Are there any people in Canada?�

Unfortunately for whatever Canadians may be lurking around there are the occasional foreign invasions: Boy Scouts overrunning the floating store on Shuswap Lake, BC.


The second wave is coming in from the left and the third wave is just barely visiby on the far right.

eta: I figured out the size thing but my previous post won't let me edit.

Another gorgeous location. I'm going to have to go to BC.

The Columbia Gorge as viewed from Crown Point overlook on the Historic Columbia River Highway;







Crown Point observatory;

Various falls along the Historic Columbia River Highway (this trip was my first at any of them other than Multnomah so don't remember which is which!);











Found a ton more, but that's good for now!

Great pics! I would be in heaven if i was there .. I LOVE waterfall pics .. they are my fav to take.

South on I5 then east on I84. Could even recommend a romantic spot for you and the Mrs. to stay!

Holiday break was very good. I find I am suffering some severe post holiday blues though. Anyone have suggestions for dealing with an empty nest?

The realization DS is growing up and starting his own life has suddenly hit me hard. I did not feel like this a year ago when he first left for college.
But it sure is hitting me now that he has gone back after this Christmas. I teared up while straightening his room this morning.

Last year was exciting - getting him ready to go off to college and going there with him to get settled in. And he came home every break - even short ones.
Now he lives off campus, has lots of friends and does not plan to come home much. He and a couple friends are already planning a road trip over spring break.

Maybe I am just run-down and tired from all the skiing and still getting over a bad cold. Hopefully I will feel better about all this in a few days.
In the meantime, and in the spirit of MNG�s upbeat thread, I thought I would post two warm and sunny pictures from a couple of years ago.

Sunrise off Tortola, BVI:


Company on the run to Anagada:



(I'm still fumbling the size thing.)